The Art of Attainment, contains hundreds of individual quotations drawn from over 2,000 years of Chinese history.

Sources range from early philosophers such as Confucius and the Daoist philosopher Li Er, to early historians like Ban Gu and Sima Qian, through the poets and officials of the brilliant Tang and Song dynasties and on to the writers that flourished in the 17th to 19th centuries.

The quotations found in The Art of Attainment, cover almost any wider action undertaken in pursuit of an aim such as the conduct of government, management and warfare. This volume includes quotes from The Art of War and The Six Bow-Cases of Duke Tai.

About the Author:Tony Blishen is a retired British diplomat who studied Chinese and Japanese at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and at the Deng Zhiang College of Chinese in Hong Kong. He was British Consul in Beijing for three years from 1965 to 1967 and later Counselor of the British Embassy in Tokyo. Two of his sons were born in China and his daughter has been an aid worker in Cambodia, Thailand, Bangla Desh and India.